This newly famous mezzo rises to the occasion of a lavish showcase album with charisma and skill . . . this is a most enjoyable tour.. . . a triumph on at least three levels: the imaginative and varied programme; the lively and sensitive support she receives from her Italian colleagues led by her conductor husband; and the gorgeous singing voice . . . Garanca's voice has been described as "creamy", "silken" and "lustrous" (her chest register is superbly produced) but it also has a surprisingly rounded maturity. What sets her apart, however, is the unteachable ability to send shivers down the spine and make grown men salivate.

The Latvian mezzo has one of the plushest, most evenly produced and alluring mezzo-sopranos of our time.

Record Review /
Hugh Canning,
International Record Review (London) / 01. October 2010

The "Habanera" and "Seguidilla" toast Garanca's recent Met triumph, and the album ends with an earlier, more energetic "Habanera" . . . Bring that show back! Also it's fun to listen to Garanca apply a smoldering lilt to two famous lullabies, by Manuel de Falla and Xavier Montsalvatge.

Record Review /
Mary Kunz Goldman,
Buffalo News / 10. October 2010

Natural recording artists -- those able to focus a phrase for the microphone -- are rare, particularly when it comes to opera singers. Yet anyone fortunate enough to have heard the Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca in her recent Metropolitan Opera appearances as Carmen will know what to expect from "Habanera," her latest recital album . . . Garanca has been on a steep ascent for several years, thanks to an unusually rich, creamy voice that she has learned to use to great effect. It doesn't hurt that this alluring Northern European blonde can also look -- and act -- the part . . . Garanca makes this imaginative and varied program come to life . . . Her voice particularly shines in "Cancion del amor" by guitarist Jose Maria Gallardo Del Rey, who also joins her in a smoldering lullaby by de Falla. Elsewhere she receives lively and sensitive support from the RAI Symphony Orchestra led by her conductor husband, Karel Mark Chichon.

Record Review /
Brian Wise,
WQXR.com / 16. October 2010

With a mezzo-soprano as bold and alluring as the perfect red lipstick, Elīna Garanča embodies Bizet's "Carmen" and her "Habanera". On this CD of mostly Spanish music, it's easy to imagine her spiraling out of control as opera's most beloved gypsy, enjoy her playfulness in Zarzuela and marvel at her unaffected, idiomatic treatment of folk-inflected material . . . Montsalvatge's "Canción De Cuna Para Dormir A Un Negrito" stands out, with Garanča's tone so lush in its lower range and so well complemented by the lilting, breezy string backdrop . . .

Record Review /
Ronni Reich,
Star Ledger (Newark) / 05. November 2010

As you listen to Elīna Garanča sing Spanish songs, operatic arias, and zarzuela you will be swept away by the mystery and excitement of this Mediterranean culture, and by her gorgeous voice, her incredible technique, and the pure beauty and energy of this music.

Record Review /
Julie Amacher,
Minnesota Public Radio / 23. November 2010

Garanca's high-spirited reading suits her interpretation of Carmen as an aloof, boarding-school brat and provides a lively finale to this interesting program . . . Garanca's enthusiasm for the music brings out a variety of vocal colors, and several excerpts are perfectly served by the voice's beauty, smooth texture and soprano-ish sheen. Garanca brings an attractive languor to Ravel's "Vocalise-etude en forme de Habanera," with easy filigree and a nice trill, while the Csardas from Act II of Lehár's "Zigeunerliebe" shows off the bloom and power in the singer's upper range, along with an easy top C . . . [Balfe]: she caresses the gentle, upward gestures of the melody with a lovely lilt . . . [She] brings luminous beauty to Falla's short "Nana" from "Seite Canciones Populares Espanolas". José María Gallardo del Rey's guitar-playing is a real asset here . . . Garanca's quasi-pop sound in this song is breezy and attractive.

Elīna Garanča sings Gypsy-themed gems

Elīna Garanča’s supple, seductive mezzo is aflame with the neon hues and rhythmic dash of Romany in excerpts from beguiling Gypsy roles in opera and operetta. Stand alone numbers add to the panache of Habanera

With gorgeous pieces eliciting every gift Elīna Garanča boasts as a musician, Habanera's instrumental accompaniments – whether RAI’s full orchestra, small ensemble or guitar – add to the sultry atmosphere

On this album, the ‘dialects’ derived from Gypsy musical language include Bizet’s Carmen, Chueca’s Tango de la Ermenegilda, Bernstein’s Candide, Lehar’s Hör ich Zymbalklänge and unknown gems like Obradors’ El vito (see the exceptional music video) making for a musically enlightening and delightful program

Every generation has its “must see” Carmen. In 2010, the list of definitive gypsy seductresses – glittering with names like Baltsa, Bumbry, Calvé, Farrar, and Stevens – is enriched by the addition of Elīna Garanča

After her triumphant success as Carmen in Riga, London, and Munich, Elīna Garanča, “the Carmen of our day” (News, Austria), has taken the NY Metropolitan Opera by storm in January 2010. This production was filmed live and the 2 DVD Set in 5.1 DTS surround sound will be released simultaneously

The Wiener Zeitung said it all when it observed of Garanča’s Carmen that “the role and the singer are perfectly matched”

Elīna Garanča will tour the repertoire of Habanera extensively in 2010-2011 in some of Europe’s most important centres of music such as Munich, Paris and Vienna

Insights

Elīna Garanča sings Gypsy-themed gems
The artist in conversation with George Hall

George Hall: What was your original idea for this album?

Elīna Garanča: There were a couple of them. Clearly I wanted to do something on the theme of gypsies. But another reason was that I love Spanish zarzuela, and indeed everything about Spain – the whole Spanish temperament, the way they think, the way they live. All that has fascinated me ever since I saw the film of Carmen with Julia Migenes and Plácido Domingo. I must have been about eight at the time. With this album, I also wanted to pay a little homage to Spain and the Spanish temperament.

GH: The role of Carmen is perhaps the most famous embodiment of Spain in all of music, and you’ve been singing it a great deal recently. How do you conceive her character?

EG: That isn’t easy to define, because in every production the stage director sees her character differently. So you have to be flexible – whether it’s going to be more about sex and violence, or freedom and despair, or destiny and joie-de-vivre. For me Carmen is certainly a free-spirited person who lives from day to day. As an audience member, you should experience every kind of feeling for her. You should love her, hate her, feel sorry for her, laugh with her, and feel that you want to embrace her like a little child and say, “It’s going to be alright tomorrow.”

GH: . . . and each one of Carmen’s solos is very different.

EG: Yes, and the difference has a lot to do with vocal production – you have to sound sensual or brilliant or very dark. In the “Seguidilla” it’s crucial to have a Don José you can interact with, a colleague who can really respond to you. Carmen’s sexuality very often depends on how other people react to her on stage.

GH: Only a few people know that there are two versions of the famous “Habanera”. You sing them both on your album.

EG: I adore that early aria, which is the version that Bizet later replaced – it’s absolutely gorgeous! I thought it would be interesting to have the opportunity to hear both habaneras, which are so completely different. It would be fascinating, even a little shocking, to have a production with the first one.

GH: Carmen is, of course, one of the greatest and probably the most famous of all operas. But let’s talk a bit about zarzuelas. Many people outside Spain know very little about this form of musical theatre.

EG: Zarzuela is the Spanish form of operetta. People often underestimate it, but to perform zarzuela well is very difficult – exactly the same as with German operetta. Because it’s a serious genre – whatever some people might think. I find a great deal of flamenco influence in it. Zarzuela speaks to every nationality, to every audience in every concert hall where I’ve performed it.

GH: How did you get to know it?

EG: Well, my husband is Gibraltarian, so he grew up very close to Spain. He brought the genre to my attention and introduced me to some of the popular pieces from it.

GH: Do you have any particular favourites in the zarzuela repertoire?

EG: Well, I love El barquillero. There’s a line in it, for instance, that says, “How can you control the force of a woman who is in love?” – that’s life, isn’t it!

GH: Another repertoire to which Spanish composers have made an invaluable contribution is song. Your Spanish selections by Falla, Montsalvatge and the others are very beautiful. What’s the special connection you have with them?

EG: As a child of musicians I heard many songs by Obradors, Falla, Serrano and other Spanish composers at home, so you can see that these gorgeous pieces have been with me since my earliest days! I’m particularly grateful that José María Gallardo del Rey agreed to record them with me. I love flamenco and often go to those little taverns where it’s performed. For me, the guitar brings out more of the character of these Falla songs.

GH: Let’s leave Spain for a moment . . . but staying with the theme of gypsies: you sound as if you really enjoy performing the song and csárdás from Lehár’s Zigeunerliebe!

EG: Of course I do! Obviously, having lived in Austria for six years, I allow myself to say that I know a bit about German operetta. It’s just a great piece, the kind that gets an audience stamping their feet when you do it at the end of a recital. Again, it’s not so easy to sing, but coming from an ex-Soviet country I believe I can bring out its melancholy qualities. And I hope that I also have the right colours for it.

GH: Moving from an Austro-Hungarian composer’s take on gypsy music to an Irishman’s: I was delighted to see that you’ve included Arline’s famous aria from Balfe’s Bohemian Girl!

EG: It’s such a lovely melody! For me, it’s one of those pieces you listen to at night at home by candlelight with a glass of wonderful wine. Singing it I try to imagine how that girl, kidnapped by gypsies, must feel as she recalls her childhood in a castle with marble floors!

GH: The Old Lady’s number from Bernstein’s Candide could hardly be more different.

EG: Maybe I’m not old enough to say this yet, but fun is not a question of age! And because I wanted to be a musical singer before I decided to become an opera singer, I love performing this repertoire . . .

GH: And, of course, it’s a tango!

EG: Yes, that’s right. I think gypsies never know where the borders are, and I hope that people will realize it’s also true for composers and singers. I’m deeply convinced that you don’t have to grow up in a certain country or with a certain musical repertoire to have the temperament and understanding to do this kind of music justice.
7/2010